i'm in a similar position as you.. i started out by.. *purchased tradestation 2000i on ebay. (it's a standalone, so i can work at my own pace. no monthly fees) *opened account w/ IB.. allows a decent data feed, 10$/ month if no trading activity. (this method does require a 3rd party app to bridge data feed w/ IB) *began building systems (hard part) for a n00b, it's a slow process.
I have been trading for about one year now. I started when I was 18 and I am headed towards my junior year in college this coming semester. If you looked at my transcript, I am nothing exceptional. In fact, my high school transcript probably has idiot written on it somewhere. I am currently a liberal arts major at community college, aka, my formal education is not the most impressive by this industry's standards. A good deal of my education has come from spending hour after hour in the library and at the book store reading whatever I could get my hands on. As for intelligence, I do not regard myself as being exceptional. The only way I think I may stand out is my ability to remember numbers and find patterns amongst them. I do not consider it a "natural gift" since it is a skill I have devoted much time to developing. I am also very interested in how things work. Always have been since I got my first set of Legos when I turned 5.
you have success written all over you, your perfect down to earth realistic attitude combined with your dedication will get you all you aim for. stay tough and dedicated as you already have with an unending patience and lots of discipline. good luck Cy